Sin’s Claim Was Nailed to the Cross—Colossians 2:13-14

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14)

In the garden, God told Adam he was free to eat of every tree except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because death came with that tree (Genesis 2:17). The literal translation means, ‘in dying you shall die’. This of course means many things, but one thing we as humans experienced was a continual deterioration into the grasp of sin. It utterly and completely defeated us, killing us in the process.

That’s the bad news; the good news is that God made us alive with Christ! God started speaking redemption over humanity the moment Adam sinned. When we were dead in sin, God made us alive in Christ! He did this in two ways; first by forgiving our sins and then by blotting out the written code that accused us.

Jesus Obliterated Sin’s Indictment Against You!

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (vs. 13b-14).

In Jesus, by faith we undergo a change in legal status. Because of sin there was a charge against you. In other words, there was an written arrest warrant or bond, that charged you with the indictment of being a sinner. It was a serious accusation because ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23).

One of the amazing things that Jesus did, was obliterated the legal charge of indebtedness against us by forgiving our sins and then justifying us. “Forgiveness deals only with a man’s acts, justification with the man himself”A.W. Pink; The Doctrine of Justification. When Christ justifies you, it is as if you had never sinned in the first place; but more than that, you are given Jesus’ perfect record so no one can bring a charge against you.

Here is how God did this is a perfectly legal way; He acted as both judge and the one who took the punishment as offender. Paul said in the book of Romans, “He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Imagine you are standing before a judge. You are charged with breaking the law and you are guilty. The judge has to give the guilty verdict because the law was broken. If the judge were to excuse the offense then he wouldn’t be just or doing his job. In the same way, God couldn’t overlook sin He had to be just; He had to judge accordingly and pronounce a guilty verdict to mankind (Romans 3:19).

That is His justice in operation, however that is not mercy. God’s merciful side enacted Jesus to enter humanity on our behalf to accept the sentence passed down by the just judge and stand accused and condemned in our place. In that moment, Jesus took our sin and the guilty verdict and in exchange we accepted His sinlessness and righteousness (for clarity sake, this happens by faith, not by default).

So God, as the just judge is both fulfilling His obligation to the law in sentencing humanity because of sin, but is also showing mercy in making the necessary restitution in Jesus. This is extraordinary!

“We have seen, first, that “to justify” means to pronounce righteous. It is not a divine work, but a divine verdict, the sentence of the Supreme Court, declaring that the one justified stands perfectly conformed to all the requirements of the law. Justification assures the believer that the Judge of all the earth is for him, and not against him: that justice itself is on his side”A.W. Pink; The Doctrine of Justification.

God Made You Alive with Christ!

God made you alive in Christ by forgiving your sins and canceling the charge sin had against you. If you there is nothing left to accuse you; then you are free to live in the freedom Christ purchased for you.

Today, I pray that you release yourself from the condemnation and guilt that you feel because of past choices. Take a moment to thank God for sending Jesus who died to bring you into a place where you can enjoy the benefits and privileges of being righteous before Him. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

I want to hear from you...

How will knowing that sin has no charge against you because of Jesus, enable you to live a holy life? Leave a comment below...